In particular, coffee machines have a brewing unit inside which there is placed a dose of coffee, obtained by extemporaneously grinding coffee beans, or by loading with powdered coffee, or yet again contained in a single serving sachet such as a capsule, pod or the like. The brewing unit is connected on one side to a boiler and a pump to supply pressurized hot water and on the other to one or more coffee dispensing spouts, under which a container, or a pair of containers, such as cups, glasses or the like, are placed, to receive the dispensed coffee.
To hold the cup these machines have a support placed under the dispensing spout or spouts. Usually, the height at which the dispensing spout is or the pair of dispensing spouts are positioned is adjustable to modify the distance between the dispensing spouts and the cup disposed on the support. This is useful as coffees of different types can be prepared with the same machine, for example espresso coffee or fresh brew coffee. In the first case cups of small size are used to receive the coffee, while in the second case taller cups are used, requiring more space between the support and the dispensing spout.
The support for the cups usually comprises a grid, disposed in a substantially horizontal position and which is generally constituted by a flat element with one or more holes, slots or openings of various shape to allow liquids to drain towards a drip tray below. Grid is intended, in this context, both as a lattice structure, and more generally as a wall with one or more through holes, slots or openings of various shape to drain liquids towards the tray under said grid.
In order to obtain two different heights at which the cup can be placed, US Patent Application Publication N. 2007/0000944 discloses a coffee machine wherein two superposed grids are provided, arranged above a drip tray. Small cups are placed on the upper grid. If larger cups are used, e.g. for the preparation of so called fresh-brew or regular coffee, the upper grid is removed, and the cup is placed on the lower grid.
This known machine, therefore, requires two separate grids to be manufactured and mounted on the machine. Such approach increases the costs and results in an unpractical device, since the user has to handle separate accessories (the two grids) to adapt the machine according to needs.
WO-A-01/72190 discloses a coffee machine including a cup supporting grid, the distance of which from the spout can be adjusted. In order to achieve this result, adjusting means are provided, which comprise mutually nesting elements adjustable in height by sliding and distributed over at lest two opposite regions of a side wall of the tray and of the grid periphery. This arrangement is expensive to produce.
German Utility Model 7915161 discloses an espresso machine with a cup supporting plate, which can be arranged at two different heights. This known machine does not provide for a drip tray.